The Rich Labourer - Book Review

The Rich Labourer 
By Parthajeet Sarma & Sibani Sarma 
Review By Ila Garg

The Rich Labourer, a novel by Parthajeet Sarma and co-authored by Sibani Sarma, is published by iDream. The cover shows the legs of a man walking up the stairs of ‘success’. The tag line: “A 3-Step Path to Finding Solutions: For People, Organisations and for Society” is explicit in itself and therefore, readers can easily guess what to expect inside this book.

Entrepreneur and founder of innovation consultancy iDream, Parthajeet is a Chevening fellow (Oxford University). He not only consults organisations at a strategic level, but spends ample time on internal R&D efforts, which has led to award winning products and services in the construction industry.

With a research background spanning across large conglomerates, Sibani is the founder of skill development & capacity building firm Gallopper. She not only provides strategic consultancy for real estate, but also enables training and skill development for white collared professionals.

The blurb reads as, “A move like the demonetization of higher denomination Indian currency bills, with deep impact in the lives of every Indian, appears drastic at first look. Months of planning would have gone behind its announcement and deployment. Everyone wants to be innovative. People do. Organisations do. So do governments. Being innovative is necessary for survival today. Everyone's understanding of the path to innovation is different. Whether it is the government initiating a public directive like the demonetisation of high value currency notes or a private organisation launching a new product, it is critical is to be human centric. Real value is co-created with the end-user. In a first of its kind, this book uses a fictional story in the backdrop to demonstrate a 3-step structured approach towards innovation. The Probe-Ponder-Prove method or the 3P Method. This first version of the book is like a prototype and is an experiment in itself. Prototypes are made to secure feedback and use such feedback to improve any product or service. Readers are requested to leave their comments and suggestions, to enable an enhanced second version. Feedback link: www.Parthajeet.com/TheRichLabourer/”

The theme of innovation and success is central to this book. With demonetisation in the air, how can one still aim for success is what this book attempts to shed light on. The book is full of interesting examples. Teaching simple management through a story seems a little unthinkable, but Parthajeet and Sibani Sarma have done it.

The characterisation is done thoughtfully and readers will find them relatable. Ravi, Riya, Vinod, Jagdish, Nikita, Seema, Rohit, Ramesh and Saee together take the plot ahead while giving some great insights on how to tackle with a situation, how to conceive an idea and then make sure that it is implemented.

The descriptions in the book are quite realistic and therefore the readers will feel very much connected to the events. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. Nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect. It’s so well-written that once you pick up, you cannot keep it down without finishing it off. I found it quite engaging. The subject is tackled beautifully by the skillful author.

How the team decided to go ahead with a challenging project, how they ended up conceiving an idea of a self-sustained housing model, how they came up with its name “Powerhouse”, were they successful in implementing the plan for the powerhouse are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in The Rich Labourer.

Further, this 136-page book is good enough to demonstrate the 3P Method of “Probe, Ponder and Prove”. It’s a compelling book that gives you enough to reflect on, if you wish to apply the concepts from the book in real life.

Ratings: 4/5

Buying Link: Amazon

This (Unbiased) book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com. Thanks Nimi Vashi for giving me the opportunity to read such a nice book!